Another Dilemma

For the past two or three years, he had been staying by Xiao Lingyan's side. He really didn't know how this man and Miss Zhao had gotten to know each other. It seemed that the two had only met a few times before suddenly developing a deep affection for each other, something that Xu Zhou simply couldn't understand.

But that's not important. What's important is that he knows Xiao Lingyan values Zhao Ruxi highly. Whenever it involves her, he loses his composure, just like he is now.

People say that "concern leads to confusion," and that's truly a wise saying!

"However, I think Your Highness is overreacting," he said.

Xiao Lingyan put down his wine glass and looked at Xu Zhou: "What do you mean by that?"

"Indeed, your marriage to Miss Zhao will increase our chances in the struggle for succession. However, the power of Mister Kumu's faction is not large, consisting of only a few people, and will not have a significant impact on the overall situation. Furthermore, the master-disciple relationship and the senior-junior relationship are not blood ties. Miss Zhao marrying you does not mean that Wu Huaisi, Gong Cheng, and others will side with us and become members of our faction."

"On the other hand, the Emperor values Mister Kumu and Miss Zhao highly. If anyone is detrimental to her, the Emperor will be furious and will hold that person accountable, even removing them from the list of potential successors. Detrimental to Miss Zhao would not have a significant effect on harming the enemy, but the consequences would be too severe. Do you think the Crown Prince and his allies would do something so foolish?"

"So, in the end, it's because you value Miss Zhao too much."

Xiao Lingyan frowned. "You mean, the danger I brought to her after the engagement wasn't as serious as I imagined, right?"

Seeing that Xiao Lingyan finally understood what he meant, Xu Zhou nodded emphatically with satisfaction. "Yes."

"But there's still danger, isn't there?"

Xu Zhou: "..."

He doesn't want to talk to someone who's obsessed with love.

"Even the slightest danger is something I cannot bear." Xiao Lingyan head. "You don't know what she means to me."

Xu Zhou: "..." He didn't want to know, thank you.

"But Your Highness, as long as you hold this position, as long as she has any connection with you, there is danger. Unless you let her marry someone else, this danger will always exist. If you cannot let her go, then what we need to consider now is how to reduce the risk, instead of fantasizing about problems that don't exist."

This time, it was Xiao Lingyan's turn to be speechless.

"Alright then. Let's discuss how to reduce the risks," Xiao Lingyan sighed.

Letting go is impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime. He chased her from the past life to this one, finally winning her over, only to have her marry someone else. He might as well just buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it.

Actually, there was another way to avoid putting Zhao Ruxi in danger, which Xu Zhou didn't mention: he could give up his identity as a prince.

If he weren't a prince and didn't participate in the struggle for the throne, then this danger wouldn't exist.

Xu Zhou didn't say, probably because he was worried that, blinded by lust, he might really abandon his identity and use a fake death to escape all of this.

Although he's currently obsessed with love, he knows he can't simply discard this identity. As long as he's Xiao Ge's son, and he carries the dragon blood the ancients spoke of, he can't escape the fate of vying for the throne. Those who fear he'll seize the throne won't allow him to live. Losing this identity would only make things more dangerous for him and Zhao Ruxi.

Therefore, running away is useless; the only option is to face it.

Xu Zhou held up one finger and said, "First, you should immediately go to the Emperor and request a marriage decree. Once the Emperor grants you the marriage decree, Miss Zhao's status as a princess will be confirmed, and she will have the Emperor's approval. Those people will not dare to act rashly."

Xiao Lingyan nodded.

Although her status as a princess might bring her danger, it also serves as a shield.

"Secondly, as the Imperial Concubine said, we should seek protection from the Emperor. However, it won't be you or the Imperial Concubine who go, but rather Mister Kumu."

Xu Zhou looked at Xiao Lingyan: "So the engagement procedure should be that you go to the Emperor and explain that you admire Miss Zhao's talent and wish to marry Miss Zhao. The Emperor then goes to ask Mister Kumu for the marriage, but Mister Kumu refuses. The Emperor asks again, Mister Kumu, unable to refuse any longer, finally agrees to the marriage, but on the condition that the Emperor guarantee Miss Zhao's safety. In this way, Miss Zhao's safety will be somewhat guaranteed."

He gave a knowing smile, "How to convince the Emperor to repeatedly propose marriage on your behalf depends on your performance, Your Highness."

Xiao Lingyan's lips curled into a smug smile, "Don't worry about that, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Over the past two years, his relationship with Xiao Ge has greatly improved. Putting aside the entanglements of royal interests, Xiao Ge is actually a good father, and he can feel his genuine love for his son.

Xiao Ge had been quite anxious and worried about his marriage. Now that he liked a girl, and one that Xiao Ge himself greatly admired, he would only be Gao Xing and wouldn't stand in his way.

He might have suppressed them in the past for Xiao Lingheng's sake. But after the battle last winter, Xiao Lingheng's image in Xiao Ge's mind has greatly diminished. Xiao Ge would never allow someone like Xiao Lingheng, who has no ambition for the throne, to be denied even a happy marriage.

If Zhao Ruxi doesn't marry him, the person she might marry is probably someone from the Crown Prince's or Xiao Lingheng's faction, which would give Xiao Ge even more of a headache. He believes Xiao Ge would be happy to see her marry him.

"However..." Xu Zhou's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Although the Emperor's protection has reduced Miss Zhao's danger, the danger still exists. The other factions won't just watch our side have it easy; they'll always cause trouble."

The smile on Xiao Lingyan's lips vanished.

"So, Your Highness, you've put your most beloved girl in danger, just to give Prince of An more leverage in his bid for the throne. Don't you feel aggrieved? You two have given so much, and in the end, Prince of An and becomes suspicious of you. How will you face that? He needs your help now, so he's kind to you; but what about later?"

"Your Highness, people change. So I think it's better to find a way to get that position myself than to work for someone else's benefit."

Xiao Lingyan glanced at Xu Zhou expressionlessly.

Xu Zhou is good in every way, except that he keeps trying to persuade himself to become emperor instead of giving the opportunity to Xiao Lingpu.

"Let's talk about this later," he said, inwardly sighing.

He didn't want to be emperor; he just wanted to be a carefree prince, indulging in food and drink, and perhaps even working on some industrial revolutions with his daughter-in-law. Life is too short to toil away all day.

But after Xiao Lingpu returned from the border and found that his father was growing increasingly fond of him, the Little Five, Xiao Lingyan felt that his elder brother was gradually changing.

He understood the principle that it's better to have it yourself than to have it from someone else. But he was really unwilling to work himself to death after seizing the throne.

He believed that Zhao Ruxi did not like him becoming emperor.